- A once-daily epilepsy drug may control seizures just as well as a twice-daily drug, researchers report.
Their
preliminary study compared the once-a-day drug eslicarbazepine acetate
(Aptiom) to the twice-daily drug carbamazepine (Tegretol, Carbatrol) for
more than 800 people newly diagnosed with partial seizures, which
originate in one area of the brain.
After six months, 71 percent of those taking eslicarbazepine and 76 percent of those taking carbamazepine were seizure-free.
After
one year, 65 percent of those taking eslicarbazepine and 70 percent of
those taking carbamazepine were seizure-free, said the team led by Dr.
Elinor Ben-Menachem, of Gothenburg University in Sweden.
The
study was funded by Portuguese drug maker BIAL-Portela & Ca., and
will be presented April 19 at the American Academy of Neurology's annual
meeting, in Vancouver.
"Seizure control is crucial. A once-a-day
drug may help people stick to their medication schedule," Ben-Menachem
said in an academy news release.
"Memory issues, fatigue or a
complicated medication schedule can all interfere with a person taking
their seizure-control medications on a regular basis," she added, "so
having a once-daily option for patients, especially when they are newly
diagnosed and still learning to manage the disease, may be beneficial."
An epilepsy expert in the United States agreed.
"The
study shows eslicarbazepine to be as effective as the older, more
tried-and-true drug, carbamazepine, from which it is derived," said Dr.
Sean Hwang, an attending neurologist at Northwell Health's Comprehensive
Epilepsy Care Center in Great Neck, N.Y.
"A longer-acting
compound, with once daily dosing, may make it easier for patients to
comply with their medication regimen, avoid missed doses, and reduce
their risk for breakthrough seizures," he said.
source--health.usnews
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